Chord engaging device for musical instruments



May 23, 1939. T M|D 2,159,677

CHORD ENGAGING DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed Sept. 3, 1936 I w i wymmgwz $1 I 1m llllllll llll [/1 Van for:

Patented May 23, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHORD ENGAGING DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Theodor Schmidt, Berlin, Germany, assignor to Maria Schmidt, geb. Salm, Berlin, Germany 3 Claims.

The invention relates to a chord engaging device for musical instruments and has for one of its objects the arrangement of a chord engaging device in a reed instrument in the interior of 5 which a frame is located in which according to the number of the chords desired pivotally mounted operating rods are provided, each operating rod communicating with a knob, key or the like operated from outside and provided with projections corresponding to the chord tone number, the projections resting against valves or flap openers of the reeds.

A further feature of the invention resides in the fact that the frame with the operating rods is movable transversely of the levers of the valve or flap openers or alternatively in such a way that the frame with the operating rods is fixed but the reeds or valve or flap openers are movable with respect to the operating rods. Preferably the amount of movement is so chosen that in the one end position of the frame, for example, the sharp chords are operated by the operating rods and in the other end position the flat chords are operated. The movement in this case amounts,

for example, to a half tone. By means of this movement of the mechanism it is possible to cover with 21 keys or 21 operating rods the full musical range in major and minor including dominants (sevenths) in full harmonic chords which have a sound effect similar to a harmom'um. The instruments can be used according to the invention for simultaneous melody key arrangement (descant) or as accompanying instruments without descant. Moreover it is also possible to subdivide the movement of the frame and the operating rods into as many steps as desired whereby fewer operating rods are required.

The invention also relates to chord engaging devices for string instruments in which the operating rods operate pivotally mounted string pressers. In such chord engaging devices, according to the invention, the string pressers are mounted independently of the operating rods. The string pressers are resilient in themselves and thus press back the operating rods to their position of rest whereby special spring arrangements for holding up the operating rods can be omitted.

In the drawing constructional examples of the invention are shown, namely, for two reed instruments.

Fig. 1 shows a side view of an accordion, without cover, with the mechanism in accordance with 55 the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-section on the line IIII of Fig, 1.

Fig. 3 shows a cross-section through a wind accordion with the mechanism according to the invention according to Figs. 1 and 2. 5

According to the invention, there is mounted in the bass side part 2| of the reed instrument the frame I of the mechanism in which in Fig. l fourteen operating rods 4 are mounted adjacent one another and movable about the pivot 3. The 10 rods 4 consist, for example, of aluminium or other suitable material which reduces the thickness of the flap rods to a minimum so that a large number of rods can be mounted in the smallest width. The operating rods 4 carry on their lower 15 edges projections which engage the free lever arrangements 23 of transversely located flap openers 24 by means of which the tuned reeds can be actuated. Each operating rod 4 has several projections 22, for example four in Fig. 1 20 by means of which on pressing down the rod 4 a particular chord is obtained. On the upper side the rods 4 have a plate 25 which engages a rod 26 leading to a knob to be operated from outside. The number of knobs or keys 2'! is equal to the 25 number of the operating rods 4.

The frame I of the mechanism is located for parallel movement, for example, by means of plates 28 which are rotatably mounted at the point 29 in the casing 2|. The movement is lim- 30 ited on the left by the wall of the casing 2| and on the right by means of a stop 30 which also prevents the frame I from being raised by the spring 3|. The spring 3|, constructed as leaf spring, extends over the whole lower width of the 35 frame I and serves to return the rods 4 to their position of rest whereby the springs 32 of the flap levers 23 are relieved. The spring 3| can, however, be omitted in some instances. The movement of the frame I is effected by a rocking lever 40 33, which is arranged at a position easily accessible for the fingers of the hand and operates a connecting rod 34 to shift the plates 28 about the point 29, thereby shifting the rods 4 with respect to the levers 23. These means, however, can also be replaced by other mechanisms. If the arrangement of the flap levers 23 is chromatic and if the rods 4 are pressed down in their left end position chords of the sharp variety are produced, then on moving the rods 4 towards the right by the distance of two flap levers 23 chords of the flat varieties are obtained. The tone variety range is thus doubled in a simple manner without increasing the number of rods 4. There is thus obtained with a number of rods 26 whose knobs 21 are arranged appropriately in three rows, all possible tone varieties of the full musical scale. Compared with the large number of bass notes of the hitherto usual accordion a considerable simplification is obtained.

Fig. 3 shows a wind accordion of the same mechanism as in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 in cross-section. In this case the flap openers are arranged on both sides and the knobs 21 are connected with the operating rods. The mechanism in this case is movable, in that the frame I, for example, is guided with flanges 35 in the casing, the movement being effected by a handle 36 or the like.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

1. In a musical instrument of the reed tone type having flap openers, a frame carrying a set of parallel pivotally mounted operating rods ar ranged on a common pivot, each rod extending across the entire set of flap openers and being provided with projections to engage certain of said flap openers corresponding to a chord, and a key to selectively actuate each rod.

2. In a musical instrument of the reed tone type having flap openers, a frame carrying a set of parallel pivotally mounted operating rods arranged on a common pivot, each rod extending across the entire set of flap openers and being provided with projections to engage certain of said flap openers corresponding to a chord, a key to selectively actuate each rod, and spring means returning each rod to elevated position when the key is released.

3. In a musical instrument of the reed tone type having flap openers, a frame carrying a set of parallel pivotally mounted operating rods arranged on a common pivot, each rod extending across the entire set of flap openers and being provided with projections to engage certain of said flap openers corresponding to a chord, a key to selectively actuate each rod, and means to shift said frame transversely a distance corresponding to two flap openers so as to produce sharp or fiat chords.

THEODOR SCHMIDT. 

